4 Months of Bliss
by Alyss Mainwaring
Summary: Part of my countdown, but can be read by itself. It will still make sense. Val and Skul are having a conversation around a fire before going off to prank a few new recruits of the war. Complete Valduggery.


**Next one in this series. Once again, I have to remind you that you can read these out of order, in order or just plain however you feel like. :)**

**And I just realised, these can be set practically anytime in her life you want. Obviously, if you make it set when she is young, it won't make a huge amount of sense, but I see people like to write about the time when she is in her 20's. Personally, I can see this as when she is about 150-200 years old, still stuck in the time when she appears to be 20-25. But whatever floats your boat…**

**More Valduggery than the last one. :)**

* * *

Skulduggery sat on a log facing a fire. He was in a contemplative mood, the memories from the war against Mevolent's forces haunting his every action. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't acknowledge the fact that Valkyrie had come and sat down next to him.

"Whilst the fire is really interesting and all, I am fairly certain that you need to be playing an instrument for a lion to randomly appear out of the flames. That or use some powder," she commented.

Skulduggery turned his head sideways to look at her.

"What is the point?" he asked. "Why are we here? Can't we just run away to a random area of the world and live there until it is all over? Is there a reason why we need to stay here and fight?"

"For our loved ones. You are a brilliant strategist, and that comes in handy with the battles and attacks. I'm completely willing to tell someone straight off what exactly their faults are, and if they don't change them, it isn't for lack of trying on our part, you know. Who else can take up our roles? With my good looks and your ego, there isn't anyone that can take our positions."

Skulduggery laughed. It was a fully belly laugh, underlining the insanity that had taken control of everyone. Valkyrie didn't find anything funny. After he had finished, Skulduggery leaned over and threw another log into the fire. Slowly the flame grew to encompass the log so that it was being burned away alongside everything else.

"I'm sure they could do without us, even for a few hundred years or so."

"No, Skul. I'm not leaving here until the war is over, and I can't cope without you more than anything."

He sighed before looking at her properly. "Have I ever told you how the fire light makes you seem even more pretty?" he asked.

"Why, because half my face is so dark you can't see anything?" she asked him sarcastically, the war having even worn her to her limits.

Skulduggery laughed. "No. It gives you a sense of mystery. It makes it appear as though there is something there that no one will ever be able to guess, but at the same time, they won't be able to force it away from you ever."

It was Valkyrie's turn to laugh. "Yes, my love for you. No one else except for us understands it, and no one can ever take it away from me."

"I have to correct you on that one though, I don't understand how a wonderful, bright, smart, stunning, woman like you could ever love an old, damaged skeleton like me," Skulduggery commented with a smile. Val gave up with all of his moping, as he had been doing it for a few days now, and lifted one of his arms. Skulduggery let her, amused.

If he was able to, she could bet that one eyebrow would be raised watching her accusingly.

After it was at a reasonable height, Val transferred it to her other hand and slid along until she was under it. Upon completing this, she let it drop again. Skulduggery's girlfriend had managed to get him to put his arm around her shoulders without him even having to put any effort into it. He tightened his grip on her and brought her impossibly close to his side.

She was able to feel every rib against her own, both coming together and fitting neatly into an interlocking place. He appeared to be insanely thin in comparison to her, but she didn't mind. His war clothing had recently been altered by a tailor somewhere in the world that Skulduggery had to meet personally to get the work done, and he now carried around more than his normal revolver.

Valkyrie had changed from whatever gear she had been wearing before to something almost completely different. There were still elements of Ghastly's work, and there always would be in almost tribute towards the man, but the same mysterious tailor had altered her things as well to suit this situation better. A few months ago in preparation of the war, Skulduggery had taught her the essential things that he believed might come up in a war like situation. He taught her basic field first aid, how to drive, including the horrible jeep things that Val wanted to stay away from as much as possible, and how to shoot. In return she now carried around two guns herself and spare ammunition was never too far away, most of it on her person.

The dinner horn sounded and Valkyrie chose to ignore it. After all, there had been times earlier when she had gone without a meal and missing this one, she was fairly certain wasn't going to kill her just yet. Skulduggery didn't need to eat and so he didn't acknowledge the sound either. Instead, the stupid man had returned to his dark thoughts.

"This time is different. You won't turn into your evil side as I am here to stop it. We know how to control it and there is literally nothing that can convince you to go out of control," she told him, correctly guessing where his thoughts had gone to.

"You're right. The only thing that could make me turn into him again now was if someone did something to you," he said quietly off in some corner. Valkyrie sighed. Some days, there was no winning him over.

"I heard that there are new recruits in the east section of camp," Valkyrie said, trying to get his mind off things.

"There are, I ran into them today," he replied simply.

"Well, I am sure that they might have heard about the two of us," she said, "and the Grand Mage is going to get us to test their skills later so that they can work out which level they go into for training."

"I still don't see where you are going with this…" he commented.

"All I'm saying is that if we go over there now, pretending that we are looking for a quiet corner or something, and then start making out, they are all going to think that we are complete pushovers."

"You aren't helping your case here…"

"And then tomorrow, when we have to do their testing, they go easy and soft, and we go hard out. This way we can send all of the new recruits to the lower levels."

"Starting to follow your insane plan…"

"And guess who is in charge this week of teaching the lowest skill level group?"

"No clue…"

"Weeper."

Skulduggery paused for a moment here. So what his beloved was saying, they were going to go off in a random (or not so much), corner and start to make out. They would do this enough so that the newbies would think that the two of them were going to be complete pushovers. Then, then next day when they were getting tested, the two of them would use all of their abilities and send the whole lot (and that meant all 253 of them) to the lowest group. The person who would have to cope with 253 morons who thought that they had known everything was Weeper.

He had a bone to pick with Weeper.

Weeper had put Valkyrie into a cell with Sanguine.

Weeper was going to suffer.

"We have a plan. When will this be enacted?" he asked her slyly.

"Any time you want, Prime Detective," she replied seducingly. He grabbed her arms and started pulling her.

* * *

A little while later, they found the place where the new recruits had been placed upon being signed on. Finding a slightly quiet corner, Skulduggery embarked on his favourite thing to do, make out with Valkyrie.

Out of the corner of his eye, Skulduggery saw a recruit walk past uncaring (after all, they weren't the only couple on the premises), before stopping a few steps past them and backing up again. The recruit stared at them with wide eyes before running off to somewhere else, presumably to tell another person.

"We were just caught," Skulduggery murmured to Valkyrie as he kissed next to her ear.

"I recommend that we stay like this for slightly longer so that we increase the amount of people who saw us," she replied and pulled him back into the kiss.

Only four months of bliss left.

* * *

**Longest Valduggery I think I have ever written with both of them alive in it and actively participating :)**

**And I think I have spelt a few things wrong, so I am terribly sorry, and if it is bothering you so much, feel free to flame me and tell me what exactly bugged you so…**

**:) **

**Aly**


End file.
